LAKERS NOTEBOOK: Jim Boeheim loyal to player and coach

NEW YORK - As he watched Knicks games from his home, Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim maintained multiple loyalties.

Boeheim remains fond of Carmelo Anthony for playing a large part in securing Syracuse's 2003 national championship. Boeheim also watched the Knicks with particular interest when Mike D'Antoni roamed the sidelines since they worked together as assistants for the Team USA Olympic staff for the past six years.

D'Antoni will return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since resigning last season, partly because of philosophical differences with Anthony's role.

Boeheim maintained a neutral, albeit honest perspective.

"It did flare up right at the end," Boeheim said in a phone interview with this newspaper. "It wasn't Mike as much as it was Jeremy Lin. He was really going with the ball the other way. Carmelo was brought in to be the main guy. He wasn't going to be happy with that. But I don't think that was Mike's doing."

The Knicks' 8-1 stretch during "Linsanity" coincided with Anthony sitting out seven of those nine games because of a groin injury. The Knicks then lost seven of their next 10 games following Anthony's return.

Boeheim hardly faulted Anthony's presence for the Knicks losing in the first round of the playoffs. Boeheim attributed the organization's frequent roster changes contributing to instability. D'Antoni finished his four-year tenure in New York with a 121-167 record.

"They won some games because (Mike's) a good coach and he has a good system. But with the pieces they had, they were never going to win in the playoffs, " Boeheim said in a phone interview with this newspaper. "They didn't have a point guard. They didn't have shooters. There's too many things they didn't have."

Under Mike Woodson, the Knicks (16-5) lead the Eastern Conference because of a number of factors. Anthony is second in scoring in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant at 27.7 points a game. The Knicks, led by veteran guard Jason Kidd, average a league-low 10.9 turnovers. New York also ranks third the NBA in three-point shooting (40.9 percent).

That's a far cry from other years.

"Carmelo was good enough to get them into the playoffs with the force of his physical ability," Boeheim said. "But when they played a good team, if he didn't get 35 or 40 (points), they didn't win. They just didn't have enough pieces."

After further review

In a two-week span, Jordan Hill's status went from "Did Not Play" to Lakers starter.

Antawn Jamison had started four games at power forward while Pau Gasol has remained sidelined with knee tendinitis. But after liking Hill's energy, D'Antoni penciled him as the starter in the Lakers' 100-94 loss Tuesday to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hill delivered an uninspiring performance in posting two points on 1-of-6 shooting and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes. Will he still keep the spot during Gasol's absence?

"That's something I'll have to keep watching film and think about," D'Antoni said. "I haven't thought about that yet."